Rise of Internet Shopping hasn't helped, especially with Amazon Prime meaning you dont have to wait long... Originally it was the High Street that was replaced by the Superstore and Supermarket, now it seems to be the age of the Online Outlet (i.e. Amazon started as a company selling Books... Now you can buy anything!!)

Purchased a cot from there for the Baby a few months ago (paying it off on a monthly basis via. their layaway option) - Wasn't going to collect it till tomorrow yet got to Tuesday and thought I'd get down there that evening to collect just in case the worst happened.

My experience (years ago) is that they were complete and utter rip off merchants. They'd go into a town, put the competition to bed and then charge the Earth because there was no-one to undercut them. All the time our kids were young we never had one good experience with ToysRUs.

Feel very sad for any staff, but as for the company they've had it coming. A bigger fish has done to them what they did to many minnows.

My experience was their stores were too remote, experience was grim and cold. Smyths quite different although could also be a lot better, but they are doing OK. I was in Hamleys last week which the wife insists on doing with the nipper, and they of course do it much better although again could be better (nightmare being up town that close to xmas though).

I deffo think there is something missing with the experience these stores offer, and quite often the range they offer too. Perhaps they should also combine an online element though too, but there is something that online doesn't provide that they can. I think retail as such will become more destination based like Bluewater/Westfield though as probably the only way they can survive.

happening with a lot of industries i work for a plumbing and heating company who have a small merchants that will be closing in march, due to companies like screwfix doing it all and buying products in a lot cheaper than we can get.

From the comments online from staff/ex-staff, this seems to be down to mismanagement on a massive scale. Smyths are cited as doing much much better and being the main cause of ToysRUs' problems rather than online competition.

As noted above, it's a rather sterile experience when you go into their stores. It should be a place of wonder and joy for kids, not just a supermarket that has games on the shelves instead of beans.

Regarding online, they should have been in the perfect position to exploit it. Strong brand, mature warehousing and logistics systems in place, plenty of locations to allow for click and collect. Like many traditional stores, they seem to have reacted late and poorly to online threats.

Hate the thought of people losing jobs, but really, if you cant keep up then demise is inevitable.

Amazon, Facebook, Netflix, Apple (Itunes) Youtube/google)....The purchase of Books, TV, music has taken a different turn due to smartphone age internet access....Then branching off that, you have spotify, now tv, twitter, instagram etc. Amazon is really the only enormous company of those that's majorly unrivaled. They have the money to use anyone's idea that might be appealing for customers and just worm it in. They are untouchable.

They have made some things undeniably convenient and time saving. Netflix basically sticks two fingers up at the idea of getting dvds as xmas gifts. I would have been all over war of the planet of the apes this year but due to netflix, I just cant be f*cked to put a disc in. Id rather wait for it to be released on netflix or just never watch it.

Goodbye blockbusters, Hmv and probably a lot of other companies I cant remember.

What with the intetnet, the "big 4" (but mainly Tesco) and out of town precincts like Bluewater, all that will be left on the high streets will be fast food outlets, betting shops and the odd haberdashery here and there

To be fair the major supermarkets had more to do with the likes of Blockbusters closing than Amazon. Why pay £5 to rent a DVD when you can buy if for £8 from Tesco and keep it forever or sell it on eBay for £3 after you’ve had it for six months and have watched it dozens of times.

I was too old for toys by the time the first Toys R Us opened near where I lived but I used to take my son for a walk around looking for stuff. I quite liked it. I especially liked the fact that they are close to big car parks and have large stock levels. It’s also fun in itself looking at all the Lego or Stat Wars toys in the flesh, opposed to a photo on a PC monitor.

My son has outgrown toys as well now so we don’t go there anymore but I doubt our small contribution will have led to their problems.

What with the intetnet, the "big 4" (but mainly Tesco) and out of town precincts like Bluewater, all that will be left on the high streets will be fast food outlets, betting shops and the odd haberdashery here and there

What with the intetnet, the "big 4" (but mainly Tesco) and out of town precincts like Bluewater, all that will be left on the high streets will be fast food outlets, betting shops and the odd haberdashery here and there

and Turkish barbers.

Bar a few exceptions every high street is the same victims of this corporate vandalism

Councils aren't blameless, they should have made town centre parking cheaper if not free years ago to help local economies out.

What with the intetnet, the "big 4" (but mainly Tesco) and out of town precincts like Bluewater, all that will be left on the high streets will be fast food outlets, betting shops and the odd haberdashery here and there

What with the intetnet, the "big 4" (but mainly Tesco) and out of town precincts like Bluewater, all that will be left on the high streets will be fast food outlets, betting shops and the odd haberdashery here and there

and Turkish barbers.

Bar a few exceptions every high street is the same victims of this corporate vandalism

Councils aren't blameless, they should have made town centre parking cheaper if not free years ago to help local economies out.

Councils continue to trouser business rates that make independent retail almost impossible, then they bleat about rejuvenating high streets and aren't Amazon etc. terrible. Councils are more than doing their bit to kill off independent retail too.

What with the intetnet, the "big 4" (but mainly Tesco) and out of town precincts like Bluewater, all that will be left on the high streets will be fast food outlets, betting shops and the odd haberdashery here and there

and Turkish barbers.

Bar a few exceptions every high street is the same victims of this corporate vandalism

Councils aren't blameless, they should have made town centre parking cheaper if not free years ago to help local economies out.

We’re lucky where we live. The nearest town is Nantwich which isn’t huge but has very few chain stores. Lots of one off family businesses and you can buy pretty much everything you need. That’s where high streets will likely go - specialist shops that offer something different. The best bakers I’ve ever used, the best butcher and so on. Plus lots of one off clothes shops that even manage to keep Mrs M very happy.

Chester is the nearest big shopping area and although it looks beautiful it is still full of the standard stock stores selling the same old shit.

What with the intetnet, the "big 4" (but mainly Tesco) and out of town precincts like Bluewater, all that will be left on the high streets will be fast food outlets, betting shops and the odd haberdashery here and there

and Turkish barbers.

Bar a few exceptions every high street is the same victims of this corporate vandalism

Councils aren't blameless, they should have made town centre parking cheaper if not free years ago to help local economies out.

The bloke who owned my shop before me used to do really well on cartain occasions throughout the year (Valentine's - Easter - Mother's/ Father's Day - Christmas etc) and, to start off with, so did I, but it did go down hill to the point where it was cheaper for me to buy my Easter eggs, for example, for bogof at Tesco (think they call em loss leaders??), than was it was to get them from the supplier. The majority of my sales was tobacco and there is / was no profit in that, so it came to the point where I either totally changed direction and invested a load more dough, or bailed out and sold up.

Tbh, I can't say my customers were too loyal either. When the petrol station was made into a supermarket, they said they'd still use my place, but they never. Id get me diesel from there and be queued up with em getting bits available in my place, only marginally cheaper in the garage. Fair enough if folk want to save a few pennies here and there, but they can't then moan when the street looks like a shithole.

What with the intetnet, the "big 4" (but mainly Tesco) and out of town precincts like Bluewater, all that will be left on the high streets will be fast food outlets, betting shops and the odd haberdashery here and there

and Turkish barbers.

Bar a few exceptions every high street is the same victims of this corporate vandalism

Councils aren't blameless, they should have made town centre parking cheaper if not free years ago to help local economies out.

The bloke who owned my shop before me used to do really well on cartain occasions throughout the year (Valentine's - Easter - Mother's/ Father's Day - Christmas etc) and, to start off with, so did I, but it did go down hill to the point where it was cheaper for me to buy my Easter eggs, for example, for bogof at Tesco (think they call em loss leaders??), than was it was to get them from the supplier. The majority of my sales was tobacco and there is / was no profit in that, so it came to the point where I either totally changed direction and invested a load more dough, or bailed out and sold up.

Tbh, I can't say my customers were too loyal either. When the petrol station was made into a supermarket, they said they'd still use my place, but they never. Id get me diesel from there and be queued up with em getting bits available in my place, only marginally cheaper in the garage. Fair enough if folk want to save a few pennies here and there, but they can't then moan when the street looks like a shithole.

Looks like they've just been saved from Administration thanks to a last minute deal

Won't last - it's just kicking the can down the road a year or two at best. Pension still has a big black hole, was 90m+ I believe, US parent about to go bankrupt or trying not to. It's just the Creditors trying to get the most p in the £.

Unless these types of businesses move with the times they'll all go under.

What with the intetnet, the "big 4" (but mainly Tesco) and out of town precincts like Bluewater, all that will be left on the high streets will be fast food outlets, betting shops and the odd haberdashery here and there